Jiang Yuwei then pulled Yun Qing to her side and instructed her:
"Go to the bamboo forest first, catch the two of them, and beat them up in the dark. We'll be there shortly after."
Yun Qing nodded and left first.
Seeing that everything was arranged, the princess quickly led her entourage to follow Jiang Yuwei into the bamboo forest.
When everyone arrived, they heard a man and a woman shouting from inside.
"Who are you? Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me!"
The princess then shouted sternly:
Who's inside?
Upon seeing them arrive, Yun Qing quickly grabbed one of the two disheveled men by the arm and pulled them out of the bamboo grove.
"Your Highness, I just passed by here and caught two adulterers having an affair!"
The princess angrily said:
"This is utterly audacious! To do such a vile thing in our Prince Jing's residence! Guards, tie them up and drag them out to give them thirty lashes each, so that those who harbor such intentions will learn their lesson!"
When Aunt Lin heard that she was to be given thirty strokes of the cane, she panicked and tried to speak, but Jiang Yuwei quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief.
The physician had never seen anything like it before; he was so frightened that he was completely out of his mind, and his pants were soaked with sweat.
Seeing this, the servants hurriedly dragged the two away. Since the princess had spoken, there was no reason for these servants not to do so, so they put the two on the tiger bench and started beating them.
After the thirty strokes of the cane were finished, the two were on the verge of death. A group of maids and servants, having heard about the incident, all rushed over to watch the spectacle.
It wasn't until the servant dragged the two down from the high stool that the crowd, by the candlelight, could see clearly that the two were actually Consort Lin and the family physician. Seeing this, the crowd dared not stay any longer to watch and left one after another.
The princess, pretending to have just discovered it, angrily said:
"Aunt Lin, how could it be you! How dare you do such a thing while the Prince is away! Where do you think you're putting the Prince's face?!"
Ning Zixuan stepped forward and coldly looked at the physician.
"Tell me, when did you start doing this kind of shady business!"
The physician had been beaten so badly he was barely breathing.
"I...I don't remember..."
Ning Zixuan immediately ordered someone to bring a dagger.
"If you say one wrong word, I'll cut off one of your fingers. After cutting off your fingers, I'll cut off your toes. After cutting off your toes, I'll gouge out your flesh."
The physician was so frightened by these words that he trembled all over.
"No, please don't! Listen to me! I was seduced by Aunt Lin! I really didn't want to do this, but Aunt Lin used money and schemes to force me to do things for her..."
"When did this start?!"
"It was right after the prince went to war..."
"What tasks did Aunt Lin make you do?"
The royal physician glanced at the princess sitting above him, then said guiltily:
"It was Aunt Lin who told me to drug the Princess, ruin her health, so that she could become the Princess herself. And then, I, I..."
"What happened to you?"
"I... I did as she said..."
Although Ning Zixuan already knew about this, hearing it from the physician still enraged him. He slapped the physician across the face and then chopped off the physician's finger with a dagger.
Seeing this, Aunt Lin trembled with fear.
"No, don't kill me! I didn't do it!"
Ning Zixuan brandished the dagger in front of Aunt Lin.
"You're just like him; if you dare tell a single lie, I'll chop off your hands and feet!"
Aunt Lin was already terrified, and when she met Ning Zixuan's murderous gaze, she became even more frightened and incoherent.
"Yes, yes, please don't kill me! The physician is right!"
Jiang Yuwei had already prepared a confession, and seeing that the two of them had confessed, she picked up the confession and asked them to sign and put their fingerprints on it.
After the princess saw that everything had been taken care of, she waved her hand.
"Tie up all the people in Aunt Lin's courtyard and lock them up in their own courtyard. Separate Aunt Lin and the physician into two separate woodsheds and keep them alive with thin porridge each day. We'll decide on everything when the Prince returns."
After saying this, the princess rubbed her temples, got up and left. Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei quickly put away the confession and followed the princess to Diancui Courtyard.
When the two arrived at Diancui Courtyard, Ning Wan was already asleep from exhaustion. Upon seeing this, Jiang Yuwei quickly had Xia Yue carry Ning Wan, bid farewell to the princess, and left.
The next day,
Jiang Yuwei had just gotten up when she saw Yun Qing excitedly shouting in the yard.
"Madam, Madam, the Prince and the General have returned in triumph!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuwei didn't even bother to wash up; she pushed open the door and rushed into the yard.
"Yun Qing, say what you just said! Say it again!"
Yun Qing said with a smile:
"Madam, I told you that the Prince and the General have returned to the capital."
Jiang Yuwei grabbed Xia Yue's hand excitedly and said:
"Xia Yue, he's back. Hurry up and prepare some food. The border is bitterly cold, and he probably hasn't had anything good to eat in a long time."
Yun Qing said with a smile:
"Madam, please don't worry. The Prince and the General went to the palace to meet the Emperor as soon as they returned to the capital. The Heir Apparent also took Qiuyue to the palace. They are probably discussing matters with the Emperor right now. They won't be back until the afternoon. You can prepare dinner."
Yun Qing paused for a moment and then continued:
"I imagine His Highness will invite the General to dine with you today. We can just prepare some simple food in our courtyard. The Princess Consort will probably arrange for the main kitchen to prepare a family banquet."
Upon hearing Yun Qing's words, Jiang Yuwei slapped her forehead and laughed:
"Look at my brain, it's all muddled."
With that, Jiang Yuwei turned and went into the house.
"Xia Yue, please help me wash up properly and pick out a nice dress for me. We'll go see the Princess later."
Seeing that Jiang Yuwei was happy, Xia Yue was also very happy. She smiled and glanced at Yun Qing before following Jiang Yuwei into the house.
"Madam, today I'll style your hair in a popular style in the capital. I've been learning it for several days now, but I haven't had a chance to show it to you yet."
Jiang Yuwei smiled.
"Okay, you can help me comb my hair. Huaizhi is back today, so I should dress up nicely."
Xia Yue combed Jiang Yuwei's hair, while Jiang Yuwei did her own makeup. Soon, the two were ready.
"Madam, you are so beautiful. You don't usually dress up much, but today you look even more delicate than those unmarried noble ladies outside."
Jiang Yuwei looked at herself in the mirror and smiled with satisfaction.
"Go and bring out the thick clothes I just made a few days ago. I think it's chilly today, so we should wear something warmer."
After receiving the instructions, Xia Yue went out and brought back the clothes in no time. Jiang Yuwei compared and selected them one by one, and finally chose a red and white floral jacket paired with a light yellow pleated skirt.
After getting dressed, Jiang Yuwei took Xia Yue to Diancui Courtyard.
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